National News – Page 356

14 Jul

Ex Air Namibia employees beg for Parliamentary intervention

info_e12wt4csNational News

Stefanus Nashama Former Air Namibia employees yesterday met with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources and Community Development in an effort to seek lawmakers’ intervention on the delay of payment of their severance packages. The consultation meeting with the Parliament follows two petitions received from the disgruntled employees of the now-liquidated airline. The former employees are begging the committee to summon stakeholders to explain the delays in the payment of their severance packages. According to the Former employees’ Representative, Renier Bougard, repeated attempts to seek an audience with stakeholders have not yielded any positive results. He said they have…

14 Jul

Itula concerned about hunger in the country

info_e12wt4csNational News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Panduleni Itula, the leader of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), said if Namibia does not exercise extreme caution and if the government does not have a comprehensive strategy, the country will experience starvation. Itula yesterday said the suffering of the people is the manifestation of 33 years’ failure of the Swapo-led government. “Our people are hungry and we have got real poverty in this country. And if we are not very careful and our government has no contingency plans, we will be facing famine in this country, especially with the failure of the rains in various parts…

14 Jul

Walvis Bay applies for boundary extension

info_e12wt4csNational News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Walvis Bay Mayor Trevino Forbes said the local authority has requested the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development to extend the boundaries of the town. Forbes revealed this yesterday while reporting on the accomplishments of his office. According to a 1978 map, the municipal area of jurisdiction is estimated to be 1 124 square kilometres along 60 kilometres of coastline. This includes the airport, dunes, wetlands, Kuiseb River, Rooibank in the desert, and Sandwich Harbour. It stretches up to the middle of the Swakop River at the bridge south of Swakopmund. However, the town’s boundaries only cover an…

14 Jul

Thieves prey on shack fire victims

info_e12wt4csNational NewsThieves prey on shack fire victims

Niël Terblanché Residents of the informal part of Mondesa in Swakopmund have expressed despair after their belongings were stolen by bystanders while their shacks were being destroyed by fire. One of the residents, whose shack was miraculously saved from burning down, said that chaos erupted when the fire broke out in one of the backyard shacks on the same property. “We had to hurry to carry all the children to safety and save as much of our belongings as possible,” she said. The resident, who is a domestic worker and identified only as Julia, looks after children of primary school…

14 Jul

“Come and invest”, Mbumba pleads with investors

info_e12wt4csNational NewsMbumba pleads with investors, Nangolo Mbumba, “Come and invest”

Martin Endjala The Vice President of Namibia Nangolo Mbumba has called on investors to come and explore what Namibia has to offer and invest, saying that it is a land with vast potential that offers trade investment opportunities in multiple sectors beyond energy. He made these remarks during the US-Africa Business Summit 2023, yesterday in Gaborone, Botswana. “With its overarching goal to enhance bilateral and multilateral trade between the United States and African nations, I would like to reiterate that Namibia is open for business and we are inviting investors who are interested in exploring the available opportunities for shared…

14 Jul

Traffic officers embroiled in a legal fight with CoW

info_e12wt4csNational NewsTraffic officers embroiled in a legal fight with CoW

Martin Endjala Officers of the City of Windhoek’s Traffic Department have locked horns with their employer, in their pursuit of justice. The traffic officers are claiming their five-year bonus leave payment, saying they have not received it yet as agreed in their employment contract of 2014. The officers signed a five-year and ten-year circle bonus leave agreement. The case was laid before the Windhoek High Court in 2020 where the court ruled in favour of the traffic officers to the entitlement of their bonus leave. The CoW opposed the ruling in an appeal, prompting a postponement in the matter. Since…

13 Jul

Critical need for a referral hospital at Otjiwarongo

info_e12wt4csNational News

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Governor of Otjozondjupa Region James Uerikua has reiterated the critical need for the Ministry of Health and Social Service to construct a referral hospital at Otjiwarongo, to help decongest the patient population at state facilities in Windhoek and in neighbouring areas. Despite a referral hospital with an intensive care unit having been planned and approved for the Otjozondjupa Region, construction of such a facility has not commenced. “There is a need for us to call upon the Ministry of Health and Social Services to build a referral hospital here in Otjiwarongo. The town is the centre of our…

13 Jul

Namibia is vulnerable to climate change

info_e12wt4csNational NewsNamibia is vulnerable to climate change

Stefanus Nashama The Minister of Environment, Tourism and Forestry, Pohamba Shifeta said that Namibia is amongst the countries recognized and projected to be vulnerable to climate change. According to Shifeta, the high vulnerability of Namibia is a result of its already arid weather conditions. He said that Namibia is already experiencing extreme drought, flash floods, unpredictable rainfall, and extreme temperatures because of climate change. The minister explained that these impacts increase the country communities’ exposure and the pressing social-economic challenges and further limit their ability to adapt. The country’s vulnerability to climate change is justified by the previous rainfall onset…

13 Jul

Development of Communication structures a challenge for govt

info_e12wt4csNational NewsDevelopment of Communication structures a challenge for govt

Hertta-Maria Amutenja Despite the legal and institutional frameworks put in place by the government to guide the operations of the media sector in the country, there is still a need for the development and establishment of Communication structures and a function and accountability mechanism. This is according to the Communicating for Effective Government Communication Strategy for 2022 to 2027. It is stated in the strategy that: “Although the above legal and institutional framework exists, there are obvious challenges in the way Government handles the Communication function. During the Communication Needs Assessment, it was demonstrated that there was a need for…

13 Jul

Namibia to seek investment at the US – Africa Business Summit

info_e12wt4csNational News

Niël Terblanché A high-level delegation led by Namibia’s Vice President, Nangolo Mbumba will be representing the country at the United States – Africa Business Summit in Gaborone to highlight investment opportunities in priority sectors. According to a statement issued by the Namibian Investment Promotion and Development Board (NIPDB), the country’s energy sector has become famous for its diversity and growth. In terms of oil and gas, recent significant exploration activities have led to considerable discoveries of approximately 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent that have the potential to place Namibia among the top oil and gas-producing nations in Sub-Saharan Africa.…